Prison Visit
by Teary-Eyed Angel
Summary: Faith gets a visit in prison. One shot.


Disclaimer: Seriously…yeah, right.

A/n: Ok, so this isn't exactly the emotional rollercoaster I was going for….but I gave it a shot. Please review. No flames.

Summary: Faith gets a visitor in prison.

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"Right through here, Miss."

"Thanks." She had never been to an actual prison before. It was a lot different than Juvenile Hall.

She sat down in front of the glass that would separate her from the person she was here to see. She studied the phone hanging to her right. The color seemed fascinating all of a sudden. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the door open to let the prisoner through.

Through her peripheral vision, she saw the brunette sit down opposite her, the bulletproof glass the only barrier between them.

Turning her head, she almost laughed aloud at the look on the brunette's face.

They sat in silence for several seconds before the prisoner reached for the phone. She waited fro her visitor to do the same before she spoke. "Buffy."

"Faith," Buffy returned the greeting.

"You're the last person I expected to see here."

Buffy gave her a small smile. "I had some things to say to you. They needed to be said in person."

"You have something to tell me. What if I don't want to hear it?" Faith asked. She was sure it was something insulting. And maybe she deserved it. Didn't mean she had to sit and take it.

"Then you don't have to. You can go back to your cell and not hear another word from me." Buffy dared to smirk. "But a part of you wants to know. Whether it's demeaning or uplifting, you want to know. It's curiosity."

Faith leaned back in her chair. "Curiosity killed the cat."

"Cat didn't know how to defend itself."

Faith stretched her legs out under the counter in front of her and crossed them at the ankles. Crossing her arms, while still managing to hold the phone to her ear, she replied, "Okay, I'll bite. What did you want to tell me?"

There was no humor in either Buffy's expression or her voice as she answered. "I'm sorry."

Faith nearly dropped the phone as she sat straight up. "What?"

"I'm sorry," Buffy repeated. She had imagined Faith's reaction to her statement a hundred times, but nothing she had come up with was quite as funny as the real thing.

"You're sorry," Faith repeated slowly. This had to be some kind of weird joke. "Sorry for what?" Okay, she'd play along. Like Buffy had said: Curiosity.

"For giving up on you. I promised I wouldn't, and I did. I'm sorry for that." Buffy sighed. It had been hard to admit to herself that she could have done more. She could have saved her if only she'd tried a little harder. Finally being able to get it out felt…freeing in a way.

Faith studied the blonde slayer, searching for an ounce of insincerity, hoping to find something. She didn't deserve an apology. If anything, she should be the one giving it.

"I'm not asking you to forgive me. You'll do that in your own time. When you're ready."

"What if I'm never ready, B?" Faith's mind was still trying to absorb the situation.

"Then you'll never find that true peace you're looking for."

There was silence for a few moments.

"Hey, B?" Faith asked, successfully getting the blonde's attention.

"Yeah?"

"I forgive you."

Buffy smiled.

"And…" Faith paused. She wondered if Buffy would let her get the words out this tie. To find that peace she so desperately wanted, she had to get this out. "I'm sorry, B. For everything."

"I forgive you. For…" Poison arrow. Angel so close to death. 'The only cure is the blood of a slayer.' "…everything." Buffy let out a slow, shaky breath.

More silence.

"So, this whole redemption thing's working out for you?" Buffy asked, attempting to lighten the mood.

Faith smiled; a real smile that reached her eyes. "Yeah, I think it is."

A bulky man in a guard's uniform came to stand behind Faith. "Time's up."

"Guess I gotta go," she stated to Buffy.

Buffy nodded. "Hey, Faith?" She needed to know. "About that thing with Riley…do you think…?" She trailed off not sure she wanted the answer now.

"Yeah. He would've known, B. Angel would have known." Faith didn't wait for a reply before hanging up the phone. She glanced back at Buffy before letting the guard lead her back to her barred confines. She caught a glimpse of something in her eyes, and she almost gasped aloud. She had never known; never wanted to know; never really cared how deep Buffy and Angel's love ran. The flash of something she caught in Buffy's eyes told her that there were depths yet unseen by another's eyes.

'If I can find redemption,' she thought, 'they can find a happy ending.' That thought increased her determination tenfold. They were going to get their happy ending, and she was going to be there to see it.

Letting the guard cuff her and lead her back to her barred prison, she wondered idly just how much pain the Powers That Be were going to put their heroes though. And just now much pain…was too much?

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A/n: Ok, so I really tried not to put B/A in here. Honestly. It just kinda happened.  
And the Juvenile Hall thing, I figured -hello-she burned down a school gym for Christ's sake, she had to have at least stepped foot in it.


End file.
